Marisa McAuliffe Retires

An energetic, effective school community requires an eclectic collection of teachers with different personalities and various and multiple gifts. We are blessed that 28 years ago, a teacher with vision, a remarkable work ethic, and the intuitive sense of when to push for change and when to pull back and wait patiently, joined our kindergarten team. Since then, Marisa McAuliffe’s work as a kindergarten teacher, a lead teacher, a teacher of Spanish, and the Spanish Program Coordinator serves as a model of dedication, risk-taking, and 21st century thinking to us all.

Immediately, Marisa proved to be the quintessential kindergarten teacher. She worked diligently to provide an inviting, creative learning environment for her students. She is a gifted collaborator, working with a variety of colleagues to meet the needs of individual students and the whole group. As lead teacher, Marisa revised the Kindergarten curriculum to address the needs of students ready to tackle an academic program. In all of her interactions, Marisa strikes a balance between listening attentively and speaking with a strong voice as she advocates for the initiatives she believes are important. Additionally, Marisa loves to bring people together and plans all sorts of fun, faculty festivities to bring her colleagues joy throughout the year.

A native Puerto Rican, Marisa understands the importance of teaching our students to be bilingual. The now thriving Spanish Program in the Lower School exists because of not only Marisa’s strong beliefs about language learning but also her persistence over many years and her willingness to add additional classes to her already busy teaching schedule in order to jump start the program. Marisa is a doer. She will not be stopped. She envisioned this Lower School Language program, and, though it took some time, “Ya está hecho.”

This same generous spirit guided Marisa’s work on GA’s Diversity Committee. In a recent conversation with Marisa, she shared with Rich and me that beginning with her college years, she spent many years assimilating into the American culture; serving on that committee strengthened her own identity as a Puerto Rican and helped her stay connected with her country of birth. That Marisa has attended many People of Color Conferences over the years, learning from other teachers and sharing her own experiences with them comes as no surprise.

Please join me in congratulating Marisa McAuliffe upon her Jubilación. Given what we know of Marisa’s capacity for hard work, no doubt her next stage of life will be active, productive, and grounded in helping others.

Marisa, thanks for all you have done for the GA community!